Emily Batsford Creator of Cumulo Puppet Show

Emily Batsford (They/Them)

Creative Lead, Director, Lead Puppeteer of CUMULO. Their artistry prioritizes inclusion & accessibility, and takes inspiration from immersive and physical theater practices, puppetry, and experimental forms.

International Puppetry: Book of Mountains and Seas (Basil Twist), Song of the North (Hamid Rahmanian / Two Chairs Productions), PACKRAT (Concrete Temple Theatre), Unfolding (Margarita Blush Productions). New York Puppetry: Song of the North (New Victory), A Divine Echo (Roulette Intermedium), Ernie’s Secret Life (Dixon Place), The Eye Which We Do Not Have (HERE Arts), FIVE (NYC Children’s Theater), Set in Stone (Sara Stern), End of the World (Center at West Park). New York Theater: Stop Motion (Theater for a New City), Touch (w/ Katrina Lenk, 59E59), The Brightness of Heaven (Cherry Lane). Puppet Direction: Inherit the Wind (Clarence Brown, UT Knoxville), Princess & the Frog (Brooklyn New School), Ernie’s Secret Life (Concrete Temple Theatre).

As a passionate theater deviser, Emily has also participated in countless work-in-progress showings at incubators like PuppetBlok, Object Movement Festival, LabWorks, The Tank, and the Henson Carriage House. When not performing, Emily is a Teaching Artist for Child's Play NY, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, New York City Children's Theater, and CO/LAB Theater Group. Emily was an Emerging Artist in residence at Culture Lab LIC which developed their new puppet work, CUMULO. 2025 Emergence Artist Resident, Culture Lab LIC - CUMULO. NYSCA Support for Artists Grant recipient - CUMULO. @efcbatsford

Cast & Creatives

Yuliya Tsukerman

Puppet Designer and Fabricator
Yuliya Tsukerman is a Brooklyn-based puppeteer and myth-maker working in theater and film. She writes, directs, and designs cross-disciplinary works, often in collaboration with other artists.

David Leon

Composer
David Leon is a Cuban-American composer and improviser living in Brooklyn, New York. His work is guided by a persistent search for vitality through autonomy, contradiction, hyperbole, and humor.

Vinny Mraz

Set Consultant
Vinny Mraz is a playwright, teaching artist and theater maker in NYC. His work has been seen at the The Vineyard Theater, Golden Thread Productions, HERE Arts, La Mama, New Ohio, and more.

Alison Costa

Lighting Designer
Allison Costa is a transdisciplinary artist primarily based in New York City. Her practice is process-focused and collaborative and she is always interested in exploring new pathways and partnerships for creative experimentation.

Pat Maliwat

Stage Manager
Pat Maliwat was a BA Theatre Arts major in Dramaturgy and Directing from the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She was a Stage Manager in productions such as “Into The Woods” (Theatre Group Asia, 2025), “Miracle on 34th Street” (Phoenix Productions, Count Basie Center for the Arts), and “Truth: A Biofictional Choreopoem” (La MaMa NYC).

Joe Silovsky

Cloud Machine Design and Fabricator
Owner of metal and woodshop, @Silovsky Studios LLC, Joe is set up aluminum, steel wielding, and standard carpentry work. He has built theatrical sets as well as custom furniture and metal projects.